Masque
I love when books cater specifically to my tastes. Lately, I've been wishing for more mysteries set in fantasy worlds. Then, suddenly, I see this beautiful cover on Amazon, and find Masque by W.R. Gingell , an ebook (currently free) that's a fantasy, a murder mystery, and a fairy tale retelling . Specifically, "Beauty and the Beast". Watching Beauty and her Beast solve a mystery together? I could not buy this book fast enough. Even so, I kept my expectations tempered. Fairy tale retellings, though they're one of my favorite genres, are often not great literature. Independently published fairy tale retellings are often especially amateurish, with thinly drawn settings and characters, as though simply throwing in the right symbols and plot points should be enough to satisfy the reader. I expected, at best, for Masque to be a faintly drawn fantasy, with vaguely pleasant characters and just enough plot to keep me motivated to reach the la...